mtuandrew wrote: ↑Tue Jul 16, 2019 5:32 pm
I don’t think BBD Bilevels and BBD Comets share a lot of components necessarily, being designed by different companies and for different roads at different times. Herzog could definitely do running repairs but beyond that, it’s off to an Amtrak facility.
Bingo. The cigar cars were designed by Hawker for GO, and the horizon/comet was designed by Pullman for Erie. They just happen to be under the same roof these days.
Things to consider car-to-car when evaluating commonality:
Wheel size
Truck style
HVAC equipment
Grab irons
Window size
Door size and mounting
Marker lights
Toilet equipment
Interior lights
Draft gear/couplers
Transformers, fuses, electrical controls
Also, when considering if a shop is set up for a certain fleet, these items are worth considering:
What parts do they stock?
What sub-components are the people trained on? (see above list)
How heavy are the repairs?
A shop performing light repairs can handle a wider variety of cars, especially if those cars share truck or HVAC components. Fort Worth, for example, probably tightens screws, replaces fuses, greases door tracks, and in emergency will swap out an A/C unit or toilet component. Seattle, on the other hand, has a crane and drop table sized for the SC44 specifically. The guys there are trained on Talgos. You could bring in a horizon but it would take a bit more time to swap something if they don't see the part regularly.
The new Acela: It's not Aveliable.